by Santiago Navarro F. and Aldo Santiago for Avispa Midia and CONNECTAS
Oil palm cultivation is expanding aggressively across protected areas such as La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve. In this region of Mexico’s Pacific coast, at least 17,300 illegally-cultivated acres (7,000 hectares) of the exotic plant have been identified, which the government and businesses are trying to legalize through reductions to the size of the reserve and a sustainability certification.
